Pneumatically actuated hopper closure latching and operating device



.MR SUPP}.

June 15, 1965 PNEUMATICALLY I AND OPERATING DEVICE Filed Aug. 17. 1961 J. TEARPOCK ETAL 3,188,980

ACTUATED HOPPER CLOSURE LATCHING 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 F1 G. l.

INVENTORS D. J. TEAEPOCK E. o. LU/yDE & BY

ATTORNEY June 15, 1965 D. J. TEARPOCK ETAL 3,138,980

PNEUMATICALLY ACTUATED HOPPER CLOSURE LATCHING AND OPERATING DEVICE 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 17, 1961 D. J TEA PPO CK .F. O. L U/VDE 5}, M Whey Jun 5, 1965 n. J. TEARPOCK ETAL 3,138,980

PNEUMATICALLY'ACTUATED HOPPER CLOSURE LATCHING 4 Sheets-Sheet s AND OPERATING DEVICE Filed Aug. 17, 1961 FIG. 4.

INV EN TORS .D. J TEAPPOCK E. 0. L UNDE I June 15, 1965 v D. J. TEARPOCK ETAL 3,133,930

1 PNEUMATICALLY ACTUATED HOPPER CLOSURE LATCHING AND OPERATING DEVICE 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Aug. 17, 1961 r I. Om

N R 0 Q1 mmvroas D. J. TEAPPOCK E. O. LUNDE BY W 4 ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,188,980 PNEUMATICALLY ACTUATED HOPPER CLOSURE LATCHING AND OPERATING DEVICE Daniel J. Tearpock, Iselin, and Einar 0. Lunde, Clifton,

N.J., assiguors to Magor Car Corporation, Clifton, N.J.,

a corporation of Delaware Filed Aug. 17, 1961, Ser. No. 132,092 3 Claims. (Cl. 105-240) This invention relates to a pneumatic system for locking, unlocking, raising and lowering the doors of a hopper or gondola type car.

One object of the invention is to provide a novel arrangementof double acting air actuated cylinders which are connected to control means for locking and unlocking the hopper car doors.

Another object is to provide a single acting air actuated cylinder connected to the hopper car doors by means independent of the aforesaid double acting cylinders to raise the doors to closed position after discharge of the material from the hoppers. r

. Another object of the invention is to provide a novel valve arrangement between an air supply reservoir and the air actuated cylinders.

Another object is to provide means whereby the door lock-ing cycle of operation is coordinated with the door raising cycle so as to provide quick and positive means for lock-up of the car doors.

With these and other objects in view which will appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the invention consists in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts, hereinafter more fully described, illustrated and claimed.

A preferred and practical embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a diagrammatic plan view showing the relationship of the pneumatically operated cylinders to each other and to the door locking and raising means.

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view of a typical car frame with the body removed for purposes of illustration.

FIGURE 3 is a side elevation of the car frame shown in FIGURE 2 with the hopper end walls indicated inphantom lines.

FIGURE 4 is an end view partly in section showing the hopper doors in both closed and open positions.

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged side elevation taken on the line 5-5 of FIGURE 4, and shows one of the sheaves employed in raising and lowering the doors and the means connecting it thereto.

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary side elevation of a hopper car showing the door control rod and related arms in locked position.

FIGURE 7 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevation of one of the door locking arms shown in FIGURE 6.

FIGURE 8 is a section taken on the line B-B of FIGURE 7.

FIGURE 9 is a sectional view of the control valve in neutral position.

FIGURE 10 is a sectional view showing the position of the control valve during unlocking and opening of the doors- FIGURE 11 is a sectional view showing the position of the control valve during the raising and locking of the doors.

Referring to the drawings, particularly FIGURES 2, 3 and 4, the pneumatic system is used in association with a bottom dumping hopper or gondola type car provided with a pair of pivotally mounted doors 1 extending longitudinally of the hopper 2 on opposite sides of the center sill 3 covered by a hood H. The interior of the hopper body may be provided with one or more transverse partitions or bafile plates 2a as shown in FIGURE 4. The

doors 1 are provided with a plurality of brace members 4 disposed laterally of the door on the lower surface thereof. The outer ends 5 of the members 4 are engageable by the nose portion 6 of a plurality of door locking arms 7 pivotally supported on related pins 8 secured to the car side wall. Control rods 9 are secured to the upper end of each arm 7 and are connected to the pneumatic operating system in a manner to be later described. The lower surface of each door is also provided with a longitudinal brace 10. the opposite ends of which are also connected to the pneumatic operating system. The lower or free end of the brace 10 is provided with a foot 10 for a purpose to be later described.

At each end of the car there is a space or compartment C between car end walls and the sloping end walls 21 of the hopper. A platform D is located between the walls 21 and the ends of the car frame. The compartment C and platform D contain a compressed air reservoir 22, a pair of cylinders associated with the locking and unlocking of the doors, a third cylinder associated with the raising and lowering of the doors and a four way valve which controls the flow of air from the reservoir to the aforesaid cylinders. As shown diagrammatically in FIGURE 1, a compressed air reservoir 22 is connected to a source of air supply by means of conduit 23 and also connected by.

33, 34 through their front walls so that compressed air.

passing through said lines will drive pistons 35, 36 confined within the cylinders towards the rear thereof. Each of the pistons is connected to a control rod 9, which passes through the front wall of the cylinder and extends longitudinally of the car. The locking and unlocking of the doors 4 is controlled by the four-Way valve 25. FIG- URE 9 shows the valve in its neutral position whereby air in the system has been exhausted. When one of the handles of the valve is turned to open position as indicated in FIGURE 10, compressed air passes through the pipe lines 39, 31, 32 to the right hand end of the cylinders 33, 34, causing the pistons 35, 36 to move rearwardly or to the left in FIGURE 1 which causes the rods 9 to move in the same direction, and rock the door locking arms 7 so that the noses 6 thereof move out of engagement with the outer ends 5 of the lateral brace members 4 and the doors may move to open position. The downward movement of the door is stopped by means of a plate 37 which engages with the foot 10' of the longitudinal brace 10.

In order to raise and lock the doors, the handle of the four-way valve is moved to the position shown in FIGURE 11. This allows the remaining compressed air to pass from the reservoir 22 through a second pipe line 40 which is connected to a single acting cylinder 41 through the front wall thereof. This cylinder is provided with a piston 42 to which one end of a rod 43 is connected. The rod extends through the front wail of the cylinder longitudinally of the car and is connected at its opposite end to .a link member 44. This link also serves as a connection means for a pair of cables 45, 46, which pass over horizontally disposed sheaves 47, 48 and then outwardly towards each side of the car around vertically disposed sheaves 49, 50. The cables are then connected to an adjacent end of the center longitudinal door brace 11 of the related door by means of a clevis 51 and pin 52, as shown in FIGURES 4 and 5.

A second rod or connector member 53 is connected to the link 44 at one end and to a second link 54 at its opposite end. This second link 54 also serves as a connec- Patented June 15, 1965 hopper type car.

tion-means for a pair of cables 55, 6,each "of which passeslaround a horizontally disposed sheave 57 in opposite directions and thence over two vertically disposed 7 4 connector member heing'longitudinally rigid secured at one end to said first link, a second rigid link disposed wardly or to the left in FIGURE 1 which causes the rods I a 43,- 53, linksg44, 45 and cables 45, 46,55, 56 to move in the'sarne direction and thus raise and close the doors. When the piston 42 of cylinder 41"travels the predetermined distance required to close the doors, ituncovers a port 60 located in the side wall near the rear of the cyl-:

- inder. This port is connected by a third pipeline 70 7 having branch lines 70a and 701) leading to the rear 01'" left hand end ofythe double 'acting' cylinders 33, 34 re 7 spectively; The compressed air passing through the port 60 and pipe line 70 intothe double acting cylinders 33, r

34 drives the piston of'each cylinder forward or to the right in FIGURE 1 which in mm operates the rods-'9;

and door locking arms 7 to lock the doors in closed po-l s'ition. Thus, locking of-the doors is' accomplished almost instantly after the doors are in closed position. j

By returning the four-Way valve to the neutral 'position as shown in FIGURE 9, the air in all'cylinders jis exhausted and vented to prevent accidental operation due 1 to leakage; V 1 a It is believed to be apparent from the aforementioned.

cycle of operation that a simple and efficient pneumati cally operated system isprovided for locking, unlocking, '7

raising and locking again'the doors of a bottom discharge and lowering the doors in 'unison, said raising and lowers. 7

ing means vcomprising a cylinder, a piston slidable withr in said cylinder, a rod connected at one end vto; said piston, a first rigid link disposed above thelevel oftsaid doors and pivotally connected to the; other endof .said.

d,'fit'fbl 1111" a IO a rs P ir 0 ca es eac aving one en onnect MILTON H Pfimary a t ed to said pivotal link and each having their other end above th e'levcl of said doorsand pivotally connected at the other end of said connector member in tandem with said first link, a sheave mounted in axial alignment with said links and rod, and a'second pair of cables each having one end connected to said second pivotal link passing around said sheave and each'having their other end connected to an adjacent end of one of said doors at the end opposite from the connection point of said first pair of cables to said doors, whereby, actuation of said piston by said fluid under pressure causes longitudinal displacement of said first and secondpivotal links in tandemtv-while the force of each'pair of said cables at each end of said doors'isequalized by pivotal displacement ,of said links to maintain vpositive movement of said doors during raising and lowering thereof,

' '2. A hopper'type car according to claim '1, including, latching meansoperatedby said fluid under pressure for retainingisaid doors ina closed position,=and conduit 'meanscommunicating withsaid cylinder and, said latching means. toper nit-latching of said doors'in a closed position immediately position. Y 1 V V i v v 3.-A hopper type car according to claim 1, including, longitudinal brace means attached tothe undersurface of said doors and, extending beyond the opposite ends thereofpand said pairs of cables having their door-attached ends connected to said extending portions of said brace meansp after they are in a fully raised References Citedby the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS I 626,748 6/99 Brosnan Q, v286 X 777,472 12/04 lngold sby et a1. 105240 ,789,155. 5/05 Kiesel fl05255 1,000,446 8/11 sisson, 105311 1,000,753 8/11 Oldeh' '.L 105-240 1,267,363 5/18 Blest -Q 105-240 1,271,334 7/18 'I'JiUdStIiQIn, Q v 105240 1,284,111i11/18 Kestler 10529 X 2,023,233" 12/35 Kuc'har 29835 2,237,128 4/41 Armingt0r1 f 29835 2,600,357 6/52 Zimmerman.

LE0 QUACKENBUSH, Examiner. 

1. IN A HOPPER TYPE CAR HAVING A PAIR OF PIVOTED DOWNWARDLY SWINGING DOORS, A SOURCE OF FLUID UNDER PRESSURE, MEANS OPERATED BY SAID FLUID UNDER PRESSURE FOR RAISING AND LOWERING THE DOORS IN UNISON, SAID RAISING AND LOWERING MEANS COMPRISING A CYLINDER, A PISTON SLIDABLE WITHIN SAID CYLINDER, A ROD CONNECTED AT ONE END TO SAID PISTON, A FIRST RIGID LINK DISPOSED ABOVE THE LEVEL OF SAID DOORS AND PIVOTALLY CONNECTED TO THE OTHER END OF SAID ROD, A FIRST PAIR OF CABLES EACH HAVING ONE END CONNECTED TO SAID PIVOTAL LINK AND EACH HAVING THEIR OTHER END CONNECTED TO AN ADJACENT END OF ONE OF SAID DOORS, A CONNECTOR MEMBER BEING LONGITUDINALLY RIGID SECURED AT ONE END TO SAID FIRST LINK, A SECOND RIGID LINK DISPOSED ABOVE THE LEVEL OF SAID DOORS AND PIVOTALLY CONNECTED AT THE OTHER ED OF SAID CONNECTOR MEMBER IN TANDEM WITH SAID FIRST LINK, A SHEAVE MOUNTED INA XIAL ALIGNMENT WITH SAID LINKS AND ROD, AND A SECOND PAIR OF CABLES EACH HAVING ONE END CONNECTED TO SAID SECOND PIVOTAL LINK PASSING AROUND SAID SHEAVE AND EACH HAVING THEIR OTHER END CONNECTED TO AN ADJACENT END OF ONE OF SAID DOORS AT THE END OPPOSITE FROM THE CONNECTION POINT OF SAID FIRST PAIR 